Fiddler on the Roof and Marriage

Is love an emotion? Jeff answers this question by looking at the marriage of Tevye and Golde, the couple from Fiddler on the Roof who had an arranged marriage that lasted over twenty-five years.

At one point in the show, Tevye asks Golde if she loves him, and she is hesitant to respond. Together, they discover that in their daily commitment to one another, they had in fact acted out of love.

This doesn’t sound like our modern idea of a happy marriage (first comes love, then comes marriage), but Jeff shows how their love grew after marriage, and how we can use their example of commitment in our own lives. By choosing to love, we can strengthen relationships not just with our spouse, but with friends and family as well.

Jeff also answers a reader’s question about what to do with old Bibles.

"Marriage is not based on emotion but based on a commitment. And that commitment is a reflection of God’s love for the Church and a demonstration to the world of a commitment that goes beyond anything that the world is used to."